Bud of religious conflict

The issue has been seized by provocateurs on both sides of the racial divide to make an ethnic mountain out of a religious molehill. Those arguing that there should be no lighting up at any police station are seeing the Hindu police officers as having a covert agenda linked to the political aims of the United National Congress and, indeed, a religious agenda aimed at imposing Hinduism on the entire country. And, on the other side, the Hindu activists have condemned Mr Paul and the Government for discriminating against Hindus and "Indians", and also voiced accusations of an agenda to suppress Indian culture. And so the rhetoric of absurdity grows louder daily.

The fact that the Police Service actually had a Divali function at the St James Barracks yesterday naturally cuts no ice with these persons. This is because they are not interested in truth, tolerance, or common sense. Their sole aim is to protect and extend their own racial and religious turf, and if this adds to tensions in our already-fragile society, then too bad for the society. Such is the selfishness and narrow-mindedness that our country, already beset with so many fundamental problems, must face from certain quarters.

However, the very fact that a trivial matter like this should become a topic for heated debate shows the importance of confronting such issues head-on. The Government should issue official guidelines on these matters, and State organisations should also have clear policies even before the Government tells them what to do. The ethical principle is clear - either all religious observances must be allowed or none must be.

This is simple in theory, but practice poses far more difficulty. A Divali ceremony requires rituals of fair complexity, including the use of fire. A Muslim observance would by contrast be quite straightforward, but certain details, like the separation of men and women, would raise all kinds of other objections. And what would be the policy towards Christmas, which is both religious and secular? Would a Christmas tree be allowed, but a croche banned?

Developed nations have, for the most part, dealt with such matters by keeping religion and State strictly separate. This has not solved all the issues, however, since believers continually try to alter or breach the laws. Sometimes the State has been accommodating, as in matters of the Muslim hijab or Sikh turban. Sometimes it has not, as in customs related to child marriage. In Trinidad and Tobago, our leaders have preferred to not engage such issues — which inevitably leads to controversies such as this recent one.

The danger of such a see-no-evil policy is that it allows what are initially small conflicts to grow out of all proportion to their actual importance. Even trivial incidents come to be seen as signs of a deeper and more sinister agenda. It may appear as though Trinbagonian culture, with its core philosophy of easy-going values, would not allow such extremism to take root here. But, as every citizen now knows, what was true of Trinidad and Tobago once is no longer true now. We learned that 15 years ago, and the situation and the attitudes underlying it have not improved since. We therefore recommend that the Government take steps to nip what is already a flowering bud of religious conflict.